₦airaland Forum

247Hustler:
Email would be great. I will send a pm here so we can connect.

I felt some great relief seeing that you’re trying to connect with @Twoods. I absolutely loved reading your story (you’ve got great writing skills I must say!), and I genuinely pray and believe that you will do exceedingly well.

I was worried for a bit because it seemed like you were trying to connect with too many people at once (I know it’s the hustle spirit). America is indeed a land of opportunities and you need the RIGHT information from the RIGHT people. There’s so much information out there - you’ve got to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff!

Navigation from F1 to Greencard and then citizenship is a process. I really hope you got full funding for your program and other finances (accommodation etc) are well sorted as well. Just take everything one day at a time!, and don’t put too much hustle pressure on yourself. By all means, complete your graduate program, this will open doors for you.

I wish you God’s light on your path. I am certain you will do well!

GboyegaD:
Thank you, I so much appreciate this. I have responded.

Seen, please bear with me. I’ll revert this weekend.

adigun27:
What is the function or benefits of the he code to the approval of Visa pls enlighten me

Bro/Sis. Ji ma sun (wake up). No let them chop you and your money oh

GboyegaD:
Is it okay to send you a DM? I just did.

Sure, I’ll check. I’m not allowed to refuse an OG right?

purplesummer:
A quick one please, I have a sister who is a medical doctor and I would want her to explore the EB2 visa (no job offer, so NIW). I am aware there’s a physician EB2 and the regular one for everyone. However what I want to know if she needs to qualify to practice in the US before she can file.
Thank you.

No, she doesn’t need to qualify to practice in the US before she can apply for the general EB2 NIW. She already qualifies as an advanced degree holder with her medical degree (she should have this evaluated to the US equivalent, I recommend using WES). The rest of it will be to satisfy the 3 NIW prongs.

Note; For the general EB2 NIW, her proposed endeavor should not be that she’s coming to work as a physician, because just as you mentioned, there’s a physician NIW pathway with its own set of requirements. She can use research, public health, technology etc as it applies to her.

TWoods:
The O-1 visa is a waste of time since you can use the exact same info to get an EB2NIW.

Oh well…, maybe not everyone is interested in becoming a United States permanent resident. You never can tell

For people adjusting status, now might be a good time to file before the fees go up.

I’m learning new things!(DQ, IL, FIFO etc ). It’s nice to see and learn the nitty-gritty of how the consular processing phase differs from the adjustment of status phase for those outside of or within the United States respectively post I-140 approval.

Kudos to everyone making contributions and keeping the thread active!

studyless123:
For unknown reasons my post was deleted twice and I'm unable to make posts using my @studemore123 account. Maybe because it was very lengthy or I revealed too much info.

Eheen, so that’s why you’re no longer studying more abi? (pun intended).
Less studying, more money! Ooshey

eakhilomen:
Nice profile
He is well qualified for EB2-NIW, he should support his application with reference letters from FUTO, his NSE branch and others. I got approved with similar but less qualification

Love to see it! Congrats!

TWoods:
Would be quite difficult. He should consider taking up a postdoctoral position. He can then apply as an EB1B (researcher). This avoids the perm stage but is substantially easier than the EB2NIW.

He could go for EB2NIW now too. EB1 could be quite difficult for him to prove. EB2NIW processing times are quite fast now. I have seen a person that was approved in less than 2 months!

chibertha:
Please what is AOS?

Adjustment of Status; This is the greencard application itself i.e I-485. One can adjust status if already in the US at the time of application, i.e You are already in the US on F-1 and you’ll be adjusting your status to that of a permanent resident.

Consular processing on the other hand is done by applicants outside of the United States.

https://brownimmigrationlaw.com/resources/adjustment-of-status-vs-consular-processing-for-employment-based-immigration/

This link above might help you with a better understanding of both.

NotsonewMary:
Plus, AOS will be a faster option for you both than consular processing in my opinion. You’ll be the principal applicant and he can get a derivative GC from you.

I’m however not sure how this will work though, since you are already in the US. If/when his I-140 gets approved, can you adjust status from here while he pursues consular processing from outside?

You definitely know the finer details of all these better than I do.

chibertha:
Good morning and happy last day of 2022

please I want your opinion here

Below is my husband's profile

B.Eng Mechanical Engineering, FUTO
M.Eng Gas Engineering, Uniport
Ph.D. Engineering, Pretoria SA inview

Certificate in rotatory and static equipment from IFP France

Been working in NLNG since 2012 currently a senior project engineer

COREN certified
Has the following certifications
some APIs
BGAS
CSWIP

we want to start his NIW application
what do you guys think?

It’s a great profile no doubt!

I’m just thinking, maybe… just maybe you might have a slight edge over him due to your US advanced degree that is shortly on the way like you mentioned.

Plus, AOS will be a faster option for you both than consular processing in my opinion. You’ll be the principal applicant and he can get a derivative GC from you.

The ball is in your court though. It should be a win-win for you both whichever way you flip the coin (all things being equal).

chibertha:
I need a PhD because I am retiring from the industry to lecturing
I don tire to fly in and out of rigs.
It's time to stay close to home with the kids.

I just knew you were likely transitioning to academia. Goodluck!

TWoods:
This is a better, saner thread I must confess.

Haha, I knew you’d love it!

To be honest; I first read about NIW from you on nairaland back in 2017 when I first joined. I was like- this “big achiever” is here again.

TWoods:
Congrats! Considering we just went through Covid, it wasn’t a stretch to prove that an infectious disease epidemiologist is of interest to the United States.

Yayyyyy! @TWoods is here!
(Happy dance and standing ovation)

Thanks!

TWoods:
I hate to say it but if you’re struggling to gather cash for a visa application fee, how do you think you have money to fend for yourself when you get here?

@TWoods baba , always saying it as it is. God knows I’ll pay to put a face to your name lol.

Oh btw, if you could stop by on this thread https://www.nairaland.com/7266642/usa-employment-based-immigration-eb-1eb-2eb-3-visa that I opened a few months ago, I would personally appreciate it. I’m certain your input would be very much helpful.

Thanks!

damoche64:
Thanks for the insightful and helpful information @NotsonewMary. You have given alot of us the confidence to go all out & get the job done. Your degree in Epid. is hotcake now that pandemic is just in our backyard unlike before & every government is taking public health more seriously. I wish you success in the remaining process & will be eagerly waiting to congratulate you on your GC soon. Hopefully, you will accept my Pm if assistance is needed on the application.

Thank you, I can’t wait for the remaining process to be completed as well. The relief will be out of this world haha.

@ PM; Let’s see , I have some requests already and I have made a conscious decision not to do any individual chatting, it really can be draining having to explain the whole process and all it entails to each person. But, maybe, just maybe I’ll make an exception for you! Fingers crossed lol

Have a beautiful rest of the week/end of the year!

@chibertha, Great profile!

I never knew there was a Public Health Engineering program in naija (Looks like an interesting area that I’ll love to know about probably for future graduate studies).

It’s how you’re steady combining Healthcare and Engineering for me!, Big Woman Doingsss!

I hope and pray your finances get sorted, hopefully you can still look into external funding opportunities or make an appeal to your program director to see how you can get a fee reduction or something. (The latter worked for me!)

All the best with everything!

damoche64:
Congrats @ NotsonewMary. From your experience & interaction with successful applicants, what's your advice for someone on PhD? Whether to apply during the study or wait after completion not considering publications & citations status.

Honestly, there’s no 1 cap fits all or specific pattern to this thing.
One of the first people that boosted my confidence with applying was back in 2020 when a friend I met told me she got approved back in 2019 while she was still on her regular OPT post graduation from her master’s program, she had zero publications or citations, she had only included one of the unpublished papers she had written as part of her coursework while doing her master’s program.

I also do not have any publications or citations. I do not have a PhD degree as well, though I have two advanced degrees ( A medical degree and A masters degree).

In my opinion, one of the most important factors remain your proposed endeavor, what is the strength of your work? Can you find relevant articles to support how important this is to the United States? Can you find important statistics to show the trend of things in that field?

In my case, my proposed endeavor and current work is in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, I looked for important government articles and other articles by key organizations (CDC, Harvard, John Hopkins etc) to support and show the national and economic importance /substantial merit of my work.

Also, you have to go all out when writing about how you are well positioned to carry out your proposed endeavor. This is your opportunity to “sell yourself”, DO IT WELL!

“The second prong shifts the focus from the proposed endeavor to the foreign national. To determine whether he or she is well-positioned to advance the proposed endeavor, officers consider factors including, but not limited to: the individual's education, skills, knowledge, and record of success in related or similar efforts; a model or plan for future activities; any progress towards achieving the proposed endeavor; and the interest of potential customers, users, investors, or other relevant entities or persons.”

The above is quoted from the USCIS policy manual for EB2NIW. Read this manual thoroughly, it will guide you!
https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-6-part-f-chapter-5

Letters of recommendation from experts in your field are also strongly encouraged!

Overall, you know your situation better than anyone else. If you believe having your PhD degree will boost your application and give your application more strength, then by all means wait for it!

I hope this long write up is helpful

pointednose:
Congrats

Thank you!

Studymore123:
Yes because the date is not current.

A good reason to file concurrently is for faster processing of the GC/EAD.

On the other hand what if the petition is denied? The app fee for I-485 is gone. The applicant can decide what is best.

Thanks!

Like you said, concurrent filing helps with EAD, but it also helps when a person’s current status is almost running out. It’s all a risk sha, so I understand the fear of what if I-140 is denied. But sometimes it’s a risk worth taking.

@Helpout12345 or @semmyk or anyone else on this thread. Could you assist me with interpreting this image from the most recent Jan 2023 visa bulletin.

Does this mean that an applicant cannot concurrently file EB-2 category at the moment? It seems the priority date is no longer current for all countries.

I have a friend that is planning to submit I-140 and I-485 concurrently next week. Does this mean that she cannot submit the I-485 right now?

NotsonewMary:
If you have the extra financial resources for a lawyer, then by all means go for it. The average charge I’ve heard of in recent times has ranged between $3k-4k for the lawyers fees alone!

Alternatively, this process is also something you can put together all by yourself if you do your research very well and you’re ready to put in the work.

Below is a link that could help you to get started;

https://myeb2niw.com/

There is a DIY package on that website that goes for only $150, and trust me when I say that package has ALL that you need to get started and MORE.
N.B. I have no business links or ties with the owner of the website. You can also download the free ebook from the website.

YouTube and the internet generally has many great videos and resources for sample petition letters, recommendation letters and how to properly fill the required form(s) for EB2NIW.

Good luck to you and your spouse!

Quoting myself on this.

I will also add that now is a good time for anyone who believes they qualify to apply for NIW. There seems to be a new policy that is in favor of Employment based green-card applications (don’t quote me on this though, lol). But I have seen and heard of so many approvals in recents times, and the wait time is now shorter.

Also, the most important thing I believe is to satisfy the 3 prong requirements. However, the basic requirement of having an advanced degree or exceptional ability must first be met. You do not need to have publications, it’s great to have them, but not compulsory, there are very many other ways that you can prove that your proposed endeavor is in the national interest of the United States, and that you’re well-positioned to carry out this endeavor.

Welcome to the thread @uchetobi

Happy to share that my I-140 (EB2-NIW) was approved this week! ( such a great Christmas gift lol).

I filed I-140 and I-485 concurrently 5 months back. I completed the whole process myself with help and guidance from a few other friends. I did not employ the services of a lawyer (personal preference though).

I have shared resources and links that were helpful for me on previous pages of this thread.

Goodluck to everyone on this journey, may the odds be in our favor.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions ( as much as is within my knowledge) right here on the thread.

No PMs please!

Seunn11:
Thanks for the responses.
Please, are recommendation letters also mandatory??

To be honest, no they are not. My friend, who only had one recommendation letter in her application got approved some months back, same friend told me she has a colleague who is now a greencard holder (through EB2) who had no recommendation letter attached to his application.

However, my own take is that recommendation letters are highly encouraged, especially if they are coming from reputable persons in your field. Anything you feel or believe will make your case stronger is definitely worth it.

USCIS treats each application on a “case by case” basis, what works for applicant A, might not work for applicant B.

Seunn11:
Good morning everyone.
Please I need more clarity.
Do we need to write the ' Proposed Endeavor ' ?
What is the format? Is it a form to fill??

The format is by writing a letter, usually called a petition letter to USCIS.
Highlighting everything that @helpout mentioned and all that we’ve been discussing in previous pages of this post. You’ll also need to attach copies of evidences of your documented achievements usually referred to as exhibits. There’s also a form to go along with your letter, that’s the Form I-140.

kollykolly:
Thank you sir. You are God sent to this group.

You can say that again! Thanks Helpout12345.

Helpout12345:
Meaning you are going through consular processing for your final stage. All the best!

I wanted to drop a hint but you will not need it since you already have a job waiting for you in the US.

I think drbabsok is already in the US though, I might be wrong. Seems he/she came into the US on an H1B visa, then the employer filed an EB2 visa on his behalf.

Helpout12345:
Using this link

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

Nebraska is on average faster than Texas at the moment for NIW.

Although, some individual cases are decided earlier or later than the average time. I have seen people getting approved in 2 weeks or within 3 months without premium processing, and I have seen people not approved until 14th months.

Another thing that cause delay sometimes is concurrent applications. The current process of managing concurrent filling at USCIS involves sending applicants files through multiple service centers, thereby adding to the I140 decision time. As a result, it's advisable not to do concurrent.

Thanks for taking your time to explain!